The attack happened on December 30, 2011 while 24-year-old Tyler Matthews, of Heatherhayes, Ipswich, was serving a sentence at Highpoint Prison, Ipswich Crown Court was told.

A jury heard yesterday that Matthews had admitted assaulting Arunkumar Vettivel causing him actual bodily harm and another prisoner Asif Iqbal, 22, of Ilford, had denied the charge.

At the start of Iqbal’s trial prosecutor Nicola Devas said that on December 30, 2011 Mr Vettivel was serving a sentence for conspiracy to defraud and Iqbal was serving a sentence for dangerous driving and driving while disqualified.

Miss Devas said several weeks before the alleged attack Iqbal had been in an adjoining cell to Mr Vettivel and had told him he didn’t agree with him having a beard and that he should shave it off as he wasn’t a Muslim.

The men had subsequently been moved to separate cells in a different part of the prison and on December 30, 2011 26-year-old Mr Vettivel had been in bed shortly after 8am when Matthews and Iqbal had allegedly walked in.

Iqbal had allegedly held Mr Vettivel down by his legs and punched him while Matthews used Mr Vettivel’s wristwatch as a knuckle-duster to hit him on the head and cut his wrists.

Following the incident Mr Vettivel needed six stitches in a cut to one of his wrists and also suffered a cut to his forehead and lacerations to his other wrist.

Miss Devas said that when Iqbal was questioned about the incident he denied being involved in the alleged attack.

The trial continues today.